1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of caps having visors and, more particularly, to headwear having extended fabric portions to create a crown and visor with unitary appearance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Baseball style caps, such as that shown in FIG. 1, are widely worn and generally include a crown 1 which is the main part of the cap, a visor 2 which is attached to the underside of the front part of the crown, and a size controlling part (not visible) which is attached to the inner edge of the rear part of the crown. The crown 1 is generally made of several triangular portions of cloth which are sewn together, while the visor 2 is generally made of two cloth sheets separated and reinforced by a fixing element.
When manufacturing a conventional baseball-style cap, such as that shown in FIG. 1, the crown and visor portions are made separately and then subsequently sewn together. Such separate manufacturing steps increase fabrication time and reduce productivity. If coordinating designs or decorative additions across the crown and visor portions are desired, fabrication time is further increased.
Therefore, a need exists for aesthetically pleasing headwear having simplified manufacturing requirements.
In view of the foregoing, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved cap structure having a unitary crown and visor fabric portion with simplified manufacturing requirements.
Another object of the present invention is headwear having extended fabric portions that create a unitary crown and visor appearance which allows decorative portions to be easily extended across the entire crown and visor areas without interruption.
A further object of the invention is headwear having a unitary design with linking embroidery for enhanced visual appeal.
In accordance with these and other objects, the present invention is directed to a cap having a crown, a visor, a headband and preferably a size adjusting part. The front portion of the crown is formed from one or more unitary pieces of fabric which extend from the upper button of the cap to the foremost edge portion of the visor. As a result, the entire external surface portion of the cap is constructed in the same step.
The present invention is also directed to a sun visor having a rim part and a visor part, and preferably also a size adjusting part. Extended fabric portions span from the front side of the rim part to the foremost edge portion of the visor to create a unitary external appearance ideal for a wide range of designs extending across the entire outer surface of the sun visor.